I’m competitive. There, I said it. Once, at a team building event, someone asked me why, and I replied that I didn’t really see the point of doing something if you’re not trying to be the best. It may have earned me some funny looks, but it’s true. I’ve lost a lot of hobbies this way.
Now, I am not the best baker in the world, but occasionally, I’m the best on a given day in my small circle of friends, co-workers, and colleagues. I am unashamed to admit that the incredulously uttered words “Oh my gosh, you MADE that?!?” bring a smile to my face every time, and if you bake for others, I know very well you feel the same way. This praise is especially heartwarming if a) you slaved over a particular dish, and those compliments come well-earned or b) you spent zero time and effort and people are STILL impressed…which brings me to today’s project.
Certain baked goods can be found in any pâtisserie – flourless chocolate cakes, macaroons, tiramisu, and finicky little fruit tarts. The fruit tarts are a crowd-pleasing favorite, nicely balanced between rich custard and slightly acidic fruit, with a buttery crust. And every time I buy one, I say to myself “I could make these…oh, here’s your five dollars” (inevitably, for a 3” mini-tart). So finally, after looking at the embarrassment of cheap berries at the market, I decided I’d try my hand at it, and guess what? Not that hard! But so fancy lookin’!
I make the following recommendations to anyone trying it: allow yourself an afternoon, or morning if you’re so inclined – the crust must rest twice and then cool; use small berries (blueberries and raspberries) that can be laid on whole – this decreases the chance that your custard will end up smooshy after the juice from, say, peaches, drained on your masterpiece; feel free to pile up as high as gravity and your pocket book will allow, but designs work better with less fruit; and BE CAREFUL to only hold your tart pan by the edges – we’re used to using the bottom of a pan for stability, but put the slightest pressure on this one and you will destroy your hard work…trust me. The custard does set up firm, so if you prefer the creamy stuff, make the dough, bake it blind, then fill with Bird’s Custard (made with ½-¾ the usual liquid). Other than that, let your inner high-end pastry chef run free. You’ll be ready to impress at the next holiday gathering.
Pâtisserie Fruit Tart
Adapted from Joanne Harris’ Blueberry Tart, in My French Kitchen (and if you haven’t read Chocolat, do it now)
Ingredients
For the pâte brisée:
1 ½ cups flour
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
½ tablespoon cold water
For the custard:
¾ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
For the top:
1 pound berries of your choosing
(I used 1 basket strawberries, 1 small clam blueberries)
¼ cup apricot jam, with large pieces removed, microwaved for 30 seconds (until bubbling)
Special equipment:
Tart pan with removable bottom
Directions
Begin by making the crust. In a large bowl, add butter to flour. Using a rubbing motion with your fingertips, incorporate flour into butter, until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mix in sugar, then add egg and water with a pastry blender or a couple of butter knives. Use a cutting motion to mix the wet ingredients in, eventually forming a dough ball. Knead this ball briefly to ensure even mixing, then shape into a 6 inch disk (you can always pat it into the bottom of your bowl). Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and make yourself a cup of tea while it chills in the refrigerator for 45 minute to 1 hour.
When you’re ready to go back to work, remove the dough to a well floured surface and unwrap. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle a few inches larger than your tart pan. Spray pan with nonstick spray and then carefully maneuver dough into place, trimming excess by rolling over the top or with a paring knife. Do try to make the crust the same thickness around the sides. Place pan (carrying ONLY by the edges, or your work will be wasted) into the refrigerator and read another chapter of Harry Potter (substitute your favorite 20-30 minute activity here). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while you wait.
Pull out the lower rack on the oven (in the lower third, but not the bottom). Remove the pan from the refrigerator and place on the rack. Cover in a piece of foil, and add pie weights or dried beans. Close oven and blind bake for roughly 10 minutes, until the sides of the pastry are nearly dry. Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
While crust cools, combine all custard ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Spray cool crust with nonstick cooking spray, and place back on oven rack. Pour custard in, push rack into place, and close oven.
Bake for 25 minutes, reducing temperature to 375 degrees and covering tart with a piece of foil (the one you used for pie weights will do nicely) 10 minutes in. Thereafter, check on the tart every 5-10 minutes. If it leaks (don’t worry, it happens), place a sheet of foil or an extra rimmed baking sheet underneath it, on the extra rack (but not too close to the heating unit, or it will catch fire). When the custard starts to puff, has a firm texture, and is golden brown on top, it’s done. Remove carefully, by edges of pan, and cool on rack for 1 hour. This is a good time to slice strawberries or other juicy fruits if you are using them, so that they can drain any extra juices while the tart cools.
Once the tart is cool, remove from pan by pushing up on the removable bottom. Make sure the plate you will serve it on is FLAT, or your tart will crack (cheater tip – if it won’t slip off the pan bottom, just leave it on, as it won’t show…just be careful when cutting). Once plated, arrange berries over the top to your artistic liking (another cheater tip – you can glaze with apricot jam first if you’re worried about the fruit staying put), and using a silicon pastry brush, glaze the berries with the melted apricot jam (if you are serving immediately, you may omit this step if you like). Serve with a garnish of mint leaves and accept compliments graciously – just don’t tell them how simple it was.
